We have all witnessed fearsome pirate crews swashbuckling their way through the waters to achieve their goals and objectives. Legendary One Piece pirate crews like Rogers, Whitebeard, and Rocks are only a few examples. Straw Hat, Hearts, and Kids pirates are three popular crews among the new generation of pirates, who are all advancing to claim their own legendary status. Although the pirates have many eye-catching characteristics, their Jolly Roger (or pirate flag) is what everyone first notices. Therefore, based on what we have seen in the One Piece anime so far, we have created a ranked list of the top 15 Jolly Rogers. One Piece’s die-hard followers are familiar with the term “Jolly Roger,” but if you are new to the community, don’t worry as we have an explanation for you right below. So read on to find out where your favorite Jolly Roger appears in this ranked list.
Top Jolly Rogers in One Piece (2022)
Note: This article contains spoilers about the One Piece pirate crews. So make sure to watch the One Piece anime or read the manga before to avoid ruining your experience.
What Is a Jolly Roger in One Piece?
Jolly Roger is the traditional name for flags that are used to identify a pirate ship. To put it simply, it’s the symbol on the pirate flag. It’s the skull mark on the flag of a pirate crew, which makes them identifiable in the vast waters. That’s why it is also referred to as a Symbol or Skull Mark. Jolly Rogers are a big deal in the world of One Piece. The main purpose of a Jolly Roger is to differentiate one pirate crew from another.
Types of Jolly Rogers
The different types of Jolly Roger we have seen in the One Piece world are as follows:
- It contains a skull mark above bones crossed against each other or placed horizontally and vertically too.
- It can also be designed around a person in the crew, especially the captain of the pirate crew. For example, the Jolly Roger for Luffy’s Straw Hat pirates has his straw hat on top of the skull mark.
- Apart from the usual skull mark design, we have also seen smiley-based designs such as Heart and Donquixote pirate’s Jolly Rogers.
- The skull mark can alone be present on a Jolly Roger, as we have seen on the Rocks and Red Hair pirate’s flags.
- In some cases, we have seen jolly rogers without a skull mark too. For example, Cook and Roshio pirate’s Jolly Rogers, which sadly did not make the cut on this list.
Importance of Jolly Roger
A Jolly Roger is significant because it gives each pirate crew a distinctive brand-like appearance and helps distinguish their assets such as their ships and the areas they control. Every pirate crew has different goals, beliefs, and prejudice, and their Jolly Roger is based on these ideologies. Hence, they come in different shapes and designs.
“This flag rejects impossibilities! It’s the symbol of faith!“– DR. HIRILUK
As Dr. Hiriluk mentioned in the anime, the pirate flag rejects impossibilities, which means there are no limits to the Jolly Rogers and it can be symbolic of different ideals out there. There are various ways a jolly roger is perceived by people. Some of the things we have seen are:
- It can be used as a symbol to flex the pirate crew’s power in the world. The four emperors use this method to mark the territories they rule. They offer the citizens protection, sometimes in exchange for goods.
- It can be used to signify ideals such as friendship, freedom, conviction, and many more.
- It holds great importance to the leaders, and they will punish those who tarnish the reputation of the flag.
- Jolly Roger can be used as a symbol of hope against oppression. For example, Sakura kingdom has Dr. Hiriluk’s flag as their national flag after dethroning Wapol.
Best One Piece Pirate Flags (Ranked)
Now that you have an idea about what are Jolly Rogers and how they work in the One Piece universe, let’s not keep you waiting and jump to the ranked list, shall we? Here’s our list of 15 popular Jolly Rogers from One Piece:
1. Straw Hat Pirates
- Japanese Name: Mugiwara no Ichimi
- Total Bounty: 8,816,001,000 Berries
- Captain: Monkey D. Luffy
- Ship: Going Merry (Previously), Thousand Sunny (Present)
Well, without a doubt, the Jolly Roger of the Straw Hat pirates tops the charts in our article. The flag looks straightforward, yet it features the iconic Straw hat on top of the skull, which makes it more charging than others. The Straw Hat pirates are now rising up the ranks at a faster rate, and we hope Luffy will soon find the One Piece treasure. That way, with Luffy becoming the pirate king and conquering the seas, this Jolly Roger will attain a legendary status that will be untouchable by any other pirate crew.
2. Red Hair Pirates
- Japanese Name: Akagami Kaizoku-dan
- Total Bounty: At least 4,142,900,000 Berries
- Captain: Shanks
- Ship: Unnamed (Previously), Red Force (Present)
The renowned Red Hair pirates have a fabled flag resembling their leader Shanks. The skull is marked with scars, similar to what we see on Shank’s face. Also, it uses their favorite red color for the same. Moreover, instead of the regular crossbones in the back, this pirate flag includes a pair of swords, signifying Shanks’ swordsmanship in One Piece.
The swords and the scar make this Jolly Roger look much cooler. The Jolly Roger of the Red Hair pirates is just as iconic as the pirate crew themselves, and we can’t wait to witness more of our beloved Shanks soon.
3. Roger Pirates
- Japanese Name: Rojā Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: Over 5,564,800,000 Berries
- Captain: Gol D. Roger
- Ship: Oro Jackson
The Pirate King’s Jolly Roger is as legendary as himself and features his mighty mustache on the face of the skull mark. Merely a glimpse of this pirate flag was enough to send shivers down the opponent’s spine. That’s how great and fearful Roger was in his era.
The story of One Piece starts with the pirate king, but the fans had to wait a long time to see Roger’s jolly roger and ship. We got a glimpse of the Pirate King Jolly Roger first in the Strong World movie. But the anime adaptation of Roger’s past in the Wano arc (check out the list of One Piece arcs in order) made the flag look even better and more beautiful. And since the pirate king managed to conquer the seas, this is one of those Jolly Rogers that has been across the One Piece world.
4. Whitebeard pirates
- Japanese Name: Shirohige Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: Over 10,010,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Edward Newgate (Previously), Marco (Interim)
- Ship: Moby Dick
Whitebeard Pirates are one of the most legendary pirate crews of all time and the only rival equal to the mighty Roger pirates in One Piece. Captain Whitebeard, regarded as the strongest man in the entire world, has a jolly roger with a striking resemblance to him.
This Jolly Roger has Whitebeard’s ferocious mustache on the face of the skull mark, along with his cold grin. Roger and Whitebeard share a similar design for their jolly rogers, which fans adore the most.
5. Beast Pirates
- Japanese Name: Hyakujū Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 11,179,100,000 Berries
- Captain: Kaido
- Ship: Unnamed ship
The beast pirates were one of the most hated pirate crews across the seas for their tyrannical rule. They were led by one of the strongest creatures on the planet, the fearsome Kaido. Just like the mammoth figure of Kaido, the beast pirates’ Jolly Roger features a big skull with Kaido’s horns and has bones surrounding the skull in a cool way. They have one of the most terrifying jolly rogers for their daunting crew in One Piece.
6. Heart Pirates
- Japanese Name: Hāto no Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 3,000,000,500 Berries
- Captain: Trafalgar D. Water Law
- Ship: Polar Tang
Trafalgar Law has got to be one of the coolest characters in the One Piece anime. Also, the Heart pirates Jolly Roger is undoubtedly one of the coolest in the series. Breaking the stereotypes, this Jolly Roger does not include skull and bones. Instead, the Heart Pirates use a whole new design with a smiley fitted on a ship’s helm.
One can even say Law was inspired by the design of Donquixote pirates (see Jolly Roger below), but he made it look even better. This jolly roger looks charming and is difficult to beat in terms of stylishness in the One Piece world.
7. Arlong Pirates
- Japanese Name: Āron Ichimi
- Total Bounty: At least 42,500,000 Berries
- Captain: Arlong
- Ship: Shark Superb
Arlong Pirates was the first scary group of pirates we saw in the One Piece anime, and their jolly roger is nothing short of a unique one. This Fishman pirate crew was led by Arlong, one of the early antagonists in the series. The Jolly Roger of Arlong Pirates features a saw-nosed shark, representing Arlong himself, along with its tail curved. It misses out on the skull but has the regular crossbones at the back. And even then, it’s one of the coolest Jolly Roger for sure.
8. Rocks Pirates
- Japanese Name: Rokkusu Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 570,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Rocks D. Xebec
- Ship: Unknown
Rocks Pirates ruled the seas with terror, and we certainly know very little about them. And for such a terror-stricken pirate crew, they have an evil-esque design for their Jolly Roger. It includes a skull mark with the devil’s horn and is painted in dark red color to make it look more evil.
The Rocks pirates were led by Rocks and had three of the previous four emperors, including Big Mom, Kaido, and Whitebeard, as the crew members. Can you imagine these three working under a massive legendary character?
9. Spade Pirates
- Japanese Name: Supēdo Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 100,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Portgas D. Ace
- Ship: Piece of Spadille
Before Ace joined the Whitebeard pirates and took a vow to make Whitebeard the next pirate king, he had his own pirate crew, the Spade pirates. Similar to the Straw Hat Pirates, Ace’s Jolly Roger in One Piece also has his iconic hat on top of the skull mark.
What makes this Jolly Roger unique is the skull’s hat, which has two smileys — one happy and one sad. This makes the design refreshing, and it stands out among the sea of skull and bones. Moreover, the spade in the background and the fire symbol above the smileys is like a cherry on top. It presents this Jolly Roger in a red-hot fiery style, similar to Ace’s Mera Mera no Mi (Flame) devil fruit.
10. Blackbeard Pirates
- Japanese Name: Kurohige Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 4,194,200,000 Berries
- Captain: Marshall D. Teach
- Ship: Saber of Xebec
Blackbeard Pirates is rising in power and is the main antagonist in One Piece right now. Their Jolly Roger boasts three skull marks with their eyes staring in different directions. There is a popular theory that Marshall D. Teach (popularly known as Blackbeard) does not have a normal body. This special body allowed him to eat two devil fruits at once. And now, Teach is eyeing another devil fruit in the future. So yeah, like his existence, their Jolly Roger is mysterious too.
11. Donquixote Pirates
- Japanese Name: Donkihōte Kaizoku-dan
- Total Bounty: At least 813,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Donquixote Doflamingo
- Ship: Numancia Flamingo
Led by Doflamingo, Donquixote Pirates were the kings of the underworld and one of the evilest crews in pirate history. Even before Heart pirates, they were the ones to introduce the smiley-based design for the Jolly Rogers. The Donquixote Pirates jolly roger boasts a crossed-out smiley face. Doflamingo considered his jolly roger to be important and went on to punish people if they tarnished its reputation.
12. Kid Pirates
- Japanese Name: Kiddo Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 3,200,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Eustass Kid
- Ship: Victoria Punk
Eustass Kid leads the Kid pirates, and their jolly roger is based on their captain. Just like Captain Kid’s appearance, the skull mark features flame-like hair with coolers/ glasses on top of the skull. Further, the skull is surrounded by flames. This design is based on the punk rock style of the 80s. All of the new-generation One Piece pirates have such modern and cool designs for their Jolly Rogers, right?
13. Kuja Pirates
- Japanese Name: Kuja Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 1,739,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Boa Hancock
- Ship: Perfume Yuda
Kuja Pirates is led by the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock. Much like her beauty, their jolly roger also stands out. Kuja Pirates represent the nine-snakes pirates. As the name suggests, the skull mark here is extended to include nine snakes around them. It is such a great idea to replace the regular crossbones with snakes, especially on the red background. Since Princess Boa Hancock’s powers are similar to the greek Gorgon Medusa, it was a clever move to include the snakes here.
14. Buggy Pirates
- Japanese Name: Bagī Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 3,320,000,000 Berries
- Captain: Buggy
- Ship: Big Top
Buggy Pirates is led by captain Buggy the clown, and just like several others, this Jolly Roger is based on their captain. Just as the captain’s name suggests, the skull on the Jolly Roger has clown makeup and a red nose. The skull is surrounded by regular crossbones. It’s one of the earliest Jolly Rogers fans were introduced to, and it’s cool and funny in its own way.
15. Big Mom Pirates
- Japanese Name: Biggu Mamu Kaizokudan
- Total Bounty: At least 10,121,500,000Berries
- Captain: Charlotte Linlin
- Ship: Queen Mama Chanter
Big Mom Pirates was led by Big Mom who was one of the four emperors of the sea. For an emperor, this Jolly Roger’s design looked like a kid’s drawing and was hilarious when it was first shown in the anime. Easily one of the worst designs for an ex-emperor who ruled the seas with terror.
Big Mom’s Jolly Roger features a goofy design with Big Mom’s big lips on the skull. Moreover, it retains many more features of the captain such as the hat, her pink hair, etc. And instead of the crossbones, it has candy canes crossed and arranged on both sides with a tree on the right side.
One Piece Jolly Rogers FAQs
Who is the most famous pirate?
Pirate King Gol D. Roger is the most renowned pirate of all time as his name is known everywhere.
Does Zoro have a Jolly Roger?
Yes! Author Eichiiro Oda has shared personal jolly rogers for several One Piece characters and Zoro has one too.
Who is the best pirate crew in One Piece?
It all depends on the personal preferences of people, for us without a doubt it is our beloved Straw Hat Pirates.
Coolest Jolly Rogers in One Piece
So, that’s a wrap on our list including the best Jolly Rogers in the One Piece world. We hope you were able to see some unique pirate flags and understand the importance they hold in the life of pirates in One Piece. We also hope that you agree with us in the rankings of the best jolly rogers in the series. The rankings were made based on their designs and a little bit of popularity as well. In the meantime, let us know your favorite Jolly Roger in the comments below.
Ajith Kumar
